Ship-propulsion installation



D. C. BLACK.

SHIP PROPULSION INSTALLATION. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.19,.1918. RENEWED DEC. 31, 1919.

1,336,019. Patented Apr- 6, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1- W. %WHAYWN WTR EY .u. 0. BLACK.

SHIP PROPULSION INSTALLATION. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 1.9, 191.8. RENEWED DEC. 31, I919 1,336,01 9. I Patented Apr. 6, 1920 A 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN EN TOR BY (a D. C. BLACK.

SHLP PROPULSION INSTALLATION.

APPLICA'HON FILED mm. 1.9, 19178. RENEWED mac. 31,1919.

1,336,919. "Patented Apr. 6,1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- @M; Elf

ATTORNEY D. C. BLACK.

SHIP PROPULSION INSTALLATION.

RENEWED DEC. 31, I919.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.19, I918. 1,336,019.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

IYENTUII CLC% I AT TURN E Y D, C. BLACK.

SHIPPR'OPULSION INSTALLATION. APPLICATION FILED JAN. UL. 19.18.. RENEWED DEC. 31. 1919.

5 SHEETS- Fig.7.

(L( ATTORNEY UMTED ES PATENT ornion DAVID CHRISTOPHER BLACK, 01? ALLQA, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR TOv THE PARSONS MARINE STEAM TURBINE COMPANY LIMITED, OF \VALLSEN D, ENGLAND.

SHIP-PROPULSION INSTALLATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application filed. January 19, 1918, Serial No. 212,746. Renewed December 31, 1919. Serial No. 348,544.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID Crims'rori-Inn BLAoK, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at l Bank street, Alloa, in the county of Clackmannan, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Ship-Propulsion Installations, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to ship pro pulsion installations of the type where one, two or more motors or sets of motors drive through gearing one, two or more propeller shafts.

In such installations where two or more propellers used, the propeller. shafts usually pas either through a large tunnel in the holds or through separate ones, the

distance between the shafts in the engine room being approximately the same as that between the propellers, all the gearing being in the engine room, or in a recess adjacent to it. This arrangement compared with a single screw vessel involves loss of hold space, broken stowage, increased weight and cost of structure of tunnels, etc, in a varying degree, depending upon the number of shafts and the arrangement, and it is a method of minimizing these objections which is the object of the present invention, as applied to installation where two or more propellers are used.

The. object of the present invention is to arrange the engines, intermediate shafts and gearing of a geared ship propulsion installation. in such a manner as to give the maximum hold space in the vessel and to minimize the hold space occupied by the power transmission system.

I have found that in installations for ship propulsion in which reduction gearing is employed, considerablev economy of hold space may be obtained by a careful consideration of the disposition of the various shafts and gearing by which power is trans mitted from the turbines or other primemovers to the propellers.

The invention consists broadly in an improved arrangement of the transmission gearing between the engine room and the propellers so arranged that the greatest possible economy of hold space is obtained with out sacrifice of efficiency.

The invention further consist in an installation for ship propulsion in which single or multiple reduction gearing with the necessary intermediate shafts are so arranged that more than one intermediate shaft is employed in a single tunnel or in tunnels close together in the space between the engine room and the propellers, whereby a more convenient hold space is provided.

The invention further consists in an installation having single or multiple reduction gearing in which the. intermediate shafts passing through the hold are spread farther apart than the propeller shafts and placed in separate tunnels disposed in the wings of the hold or in spaces provided out side the hold, 6. 9., for anti-torpedo protection.

The invention further consists in an installation in which multiple reduction gearing is employed, the gearing being divided,

one or more gears being situated in the proximity of the engine room and other gears being situated aft of the after hold, the intermediate shafts being so displaced relatively to the axes of the motor shafts and propeller shafts as to give a greater hold space.

The invention further consists in the improved installations for ship propulsion in which reduction gearing is employed here inafter described.

In my invention I propose to place part or the whole of the gearing in some convenient position as far aft of the engine room as possible, so arranged in the case of two or more propellers to bring adjacent intermediate shafts closer together, and, if desired, lower than their respective propeller shafts. This will enable two or more shafts to be accommodated in one tunnel and so reduce the number or size of the tunnels, or both, thus increasing the hold space, giving better stowage and reducing the weight and cost of the structure of the tunnels.

Alternatively the intermediate shafts may be spread farther apart and placed in separate tunnels disposed in the wings of the hold, so as to provide improved stowage, or in spaces provided outside the hold for antitorpedo protection or other purposes.

The motors used may be turbine, electric. reciprocating, oil, gas or other well-known type and the gearing may be of single, denble or more reductions and may be mechanical, hydraulic or other well known type.

. Referring to the accompanying draw- 1ngs:

Figure 1 is a plan showing a two-shaft installation construction according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a three-shaft arrangement;

F ig. 3 shows a four-shaft arrangement in which the intermediate shafts are grouped in pairs;

Fig. 4; shows a modified arrangement in which the intermediate shafts are grouped in pairs;

Fig. 5 shows a modification in which one of the intermediate shafts is hollow, the other shaft passing through it;

Fig. 6 shows a four-shaft modification, in which all the shafts pass through a single tunnel;

F ig. 7 shows a modification in which the intermediate shafts and gearing are arranged so as to give considerable width of lhold space, the tunnels being placed in proximity to the sides of the vessel.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 1, two intermediate shafts a b are provided in a single tunnel 0. As illustratet, each intermediate shaft is driven through gearing at (Z by three turbines 1, 2, 3. In this modification two propeller shafts e f are driven from the intermediate shafts through gearing g h, the reduction gearings g h in this case are so arranged that the mtermedr ate shafts a b are closer together than the propeller shafts e, 7, while the reduction gearings g 76 are placed as far aft as is convenient. The intermediate shafts pass through a single tunnel; or if more convenient, two tunnels very close together may be provided, as, for example, in the case where the hold is traversed by a longitudinal bulkhead, or fresh water tanks are arranged between thetunnels. T he gears may be single or multiple.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, three propeller shafts Z on a are employed, the two outer propeller shafts Z a being driven by single or multiple reduction gearing 0 g) aft of the hold, while the central propeller shaft is provided with single or multiple gearing 9 only. in the engine room. Turbines r s are directly coupled to the intermediate shafts u to driving the outer propellers and all three shafts a o w are situated in a single tunnel 01. The turbines r and 5 may drive their shafts u and w respectively through gearing.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 3, four propellers are employed driven by single or multiple reduction gearing 4:, 5, 6, 7, from four intermediate shafts 8, 9, 10, 11, the intermediate shafts being situated inpairs in two tunnels 12, 13, any

suitable arrangement of turbines with or without gearing being employed in the engine room to drive these four intermediate shafts. T

In a modification of the invention shown in Fig. a, single or multiple reduction gearings ll, 15 are provided on each of the in ner intermediate shafts 16, 17, the two outer shafts 18,19, running direct from the propellers to the engine room. In this case also the two outer pairs of shafts pass through two tunnels, 20, 21, close to the sides of the ship. 7 I

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 in which two propellers are employed, one intermediate shaftr lO is hollow and drives one of the propeller shafts ll through a single or multiple reduction gearing 42. The other intermediate shaft 43 runs inside the hollow shaft 40 and drives the other propeller shaft 44 through a reduction gearing 45. The arrangement of the motors in the engine room according to this modification may be .any suitable arrangement and forms no part of'the present invention.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6 none of the gearings are placed in the outer intermediate shafts 22, 25, drive the outer propeller shafts 31, 32 through single or multiple reduction gearings 33, 34:.

n the form of the invention shown in Fig. 7, the intermediate shafts 61, 62 are placed in tunnels 63, 64, built against the sides of the ship. The reduction gearings are divided, the first reductions 65, 66 being placed in the engine room in such a position that the intermediate shafting is well outside the main portion of the engines and gearing. In some cases, however, the turbines may be placed in the wings and drive the after gearing direct. The second reductions 6'7, 68 are placed as far aft as convenient and are so arranged that the propeller 'shafting is considerably nearer the central line of the vessel than the intermediate shafting. In thismanner a very considerable width of hold space is provided without any central tunnels for the shafting. The gears may be single or multiple.

It will be seen that the arrangements illustrated are only examples illustrating the principle of the invention, the essential 7 either arranged collectively in a less number of tunnels than would otherwise be required or so disposed relatively to the hull of the ship that a greater uninterrupted hold space is available.

Further advantages of placing the whole or part of the gearing at some distance from the engine room are that the intermediate shafting is lighter as it runs at a higher speed than the propeller shaft, and that the engine room itself can usually be made shorter than when all the gearing is placed in it, thus giving a further gain in hold capacity in addition to that obtained from the smaller tunnels. If desired, automatic means can be used to indicate and prevent damage due to a failure of the oil supply or undue heating of the gears, thrusts and bearings when located aft.

Vith the intermediate shafts brought close together as described in the foregoing arrangements-if there is a primary reductionin the engine room between these shafts and the motors-it may possibly be desirableto have one gear case of each pair of shafts arranged forward of its set of motors and the other arranged aft of its motors. This has the advantage that each power unit in the engine room for a pair of shafts is of the same hand instead of being opposite hands as is usual, making the two sets of motors and gears identical. Such an arran ement is shown in Fig. 3.

T aving now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In marine propulsion installations, a plurality of propeller shafts, driving means located in an engine room, shafts intermediate the driving means and the propeller shafts, and extending along the hull of the vessel aft of the engine room, each of the said intermediate shafts being displaced axially out of line with the propeller shaft it is to drive, tunnel means in which said shafts are located, and gearing between each aft end of the intermediate shafts and its propeller shaft, said gearing being spaced from the engine room and aft the hold, said displaced intermediate shafts providing greater unbroken hold space.

2. In marine propulsion installations, a plurality of propeller shafts, driving means located in an engine room, shafts intermediate the driving means and the propeller shafts, and extending along the hull of the vessel, each of the said intermediate shafts being displaced axially out of line with the propeller shaft it is to drive, tunnel means in which said shafts are located, reduction gearing between the aft end of each intermediate shaft and its propeller shaft, and reduction gearing in the engine room between the driving means and the said intermediate shafts, said gearings being widely separated and said displaced intermediate shafts providing greater unbroken hold space.

8. In marine propulsion installations, a plurality of propeller shafts, driving means located in the engine room, shafts intermediate the driving means and the propeller shafts, and extending along the hull of the vessel aft of the engine rooms, said intermediate shafts being spaced apart and lying close to the sides of the vessel, tunnels close to the sides of the vessel in which said intermediate shafts are located, each of said intermediate shafts being displaced axially out of line with the propeller shaft it is to drive, and gearing between the aft ends of the intermediate shafts and the propeller shafts, substantially as described.

4. In marine propulsion installation, a plurality of propeller shafts, driving means located in an engine room, shafts intermediate the driving means and the propeller shafts, and extending along the hull of the vessel aft the engine room, each of the said intermediate shafts being displaced axially out of line with the propeller shaft it is to drive, tunnel means in which said intermediate shafts are located and gearing between the aft end of each intermediate shaft and its propeller shaft, said gearing being widely spaced from the engine room and aft the hold, said displaced intermediate shafts providing greater unbroken hold space, a plurality of said intermediate shafts being located in the same tunnel with the gearing belonging thereto extending in opposite directions in relation to each other, substantially as described- 5. In marine propulsion installation, a plurality of propeller shafts, driving means located in an engine room, shafts intermediate the driving means and the propeller shafts, and extending along the hull of the vessel aft the engine room, each of said intermediate shafts being displaced axially out of line with the propeller shaft it is to drive, tunnel means in which said intermediate shafts are located and gearing between the aft end of each intermediate shaft and its propeller shaft, said gearing being widely spaced from the engine room and aft the hold, said displaced intermediate shafts providing greater unbroken hold space, a plurality of said intermediate shafts being located in the same tunnel with the gearing belonging thereto extending in opposite directions in relation to each other, and said intermediate shafts being arranged side by side, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DAVID CHRISTOPHER- BLACK.

Witnesses:

IVILLIAM DAGGETT, F. A. GILLIEsPY. 

